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Astrology Update, March 4th, 2017: Hearts and Minds at Sea

04 March 2017Last Updated on 04 March 2017Written by Madame Ximon0 Comments

This morning’s early hours saw a trio of significant astrological events starting the day on a potentially jarring note, with Venus stationing retrograde in Aries, followed first by the Moon entering Gemini and then by Mercury conjuncting Neptune. Keep in mind that we are still feeling residual effects of Thursday’s Jupiter/Uranus opposition, which may heighten discord and agitation in relationships and in connection with authority figures, and may also lead to sudden financial changes.

Retrogrades occur as a result of the differences in orbits between the Earth and other planets in our solar system, making it appear that those planets are traveling backward in relation to the Earth. Of course, they are not actually traveling backward, but still there seems to be a corresponding effect in terms of how we relate to the archetypes and themes of those planets. Currently, Jupiter is retrograde, so now is a time of reassessing our relationships with luck, wealth, faith, and authority, particularly in connection with interpersonal relationships and social systems, especially with regard to what creates and keeps social harmony in our lives. Since Jupiter is currently opposite Uranus, the Jovian themes that we are re-considering during this retrograde are being challenged and informed by our own desire for freedom, our rebellious tendencies, our insights, and our visions of the future.

Stationing planets appear to slow down and halt their normal motion in preparation to turn retrograde or direct. Venus stationing today heightens our focus on Venus’ themes of relating to others, what we take pleasure in, and what we value, and while the exact point at which she turns retrograde happened in the early hours of this morning, we are likely to feel the effects of this station strongly throughout the day. Venus rules Taurus, the sign the Moon has been in for the past two days, as well as Libra, the sign in which Jupiter is currently retrograde, so Venus themes have already had a strong measure of emphasis recently. In fiery Aries, Venus expresses herself actively and independently, even impulsively. Relationships begun under an Aries Venus are more likely to be expressed in this manner. Now, however, Venus’ retrograde asks us to reconsider how we express our affections, how we connect with others, how we share our beauty (both inner and outer) with the world, and what we value. This is a time when we may reconsider our relationships, or may return to older fashion styles, or may give ourselves a makeover, whether literal or figurative. We may find ourselves feeling insecure about our looks, or our possessions, and we may be more likely to experience buyers’ remorse and return recent purchases. This is a time that encourages spring cleaning, though we would do well to measure our pace in such activities and not throw out the baby with the bathwater, as Venus is still in impulsive Aries during the first half of this retrograde (she returns to sensitive Pisces in the second half, before stationing direct on April 15th). There is some disagreement among astrologers as to whether Venus should be considered as an indicator for wealth. Since she rules Taurus and therefore rules the 2nd house, I think it would be wise not to discredit the effect Venus may have on our financial well-being, since Taurus is the sign most associated with material possessions. That said, I think that Venus’ role in relation to wealth is very much about what we take pleasure in and how we define our values, and therefore she is most likely to affect the extent to which we are or are not able to indulge ourselves at this time. I think it very prudent to keep an eye on our purchases during any time in which Venus’ normal operation is challenged, like today, and expect that during this retrograde we may see some limitation of Venus’ benevolent expression on the material plane as well as in the more abstract interpersonal arenas. On the plus side, if we are contemplating any big steps in her realm, such as marriage or a high-ticket purchase like a house, now is a good time to carefully reconsider and address any potential problems with these moves, so that come April 15th we can move forward with confidence. For those of us who are single, Venus retrograde may well be a lonely time but it is also a good opportunity to reassess how we are approaching others, how we put ourselves out to the world, how we express affection, and how we meet our own needs in relationships, and to make any necessary adjustments that can help us move forward more successfully in these areas come April 15th.

As mentioned before, the Venus station was followed by the Moon entering Gemini in the early morning hours, taking our emotions out of the Venusian realm of earthy Taurus and leading us into a more mental and communicative place. Gemini is known as the Sign of Man, a sign of duality that leads us to explore opposites, and also a sign of curiosity and inventiveness. A mutable sign, Gemini is flexible and mobile, and likes to keep things light, to experience many things within a short period of time, which can lead to a reputation for frivolity as there tends not to be much time to explore depths on a Gemini’s busy schedule. That said, being ruled by Mercury Gemini is sharp-minded and quick, able to gather a lot of information in a short time, so it is wise not to dismiss Gemini as being all about fluff and no substance. Gemini loves technology and especially tech that facilitates communication, so the Internet may become extra lively during this Moon. Under a Gemini Moon we are likely to be emotionally responsive, more interested in communicating ideas about what we feel than actually experiencing those feelings, but also more willing to discuss emotions in the first place, which may be particularly helpful while kicking off the Venus retrograde. Still, a Gemini Moon has us preferring to keep things light-hearted and fun, and encourages us to respond to serious matters with a certain degree of wit and even flippancy. Thus, we might get the ball rolling on relationship-related conversations now, but we’re not likely to solve any major problems on the subject at this time. Short journeys are favored during this time, as are quick transactions and the kind of cursory study that helps us determine what to research in more depth once the Moon is in a sign with more perseverance.

Following the Moon entering Gemini and still within the early morning hours, Gemini’s ruler Mercury conjuncted Neptune in Pisces this morning, potentially fogging things up a bit in mental realms for the rest of the day and thus getting the Moon’s time in Gemini off to a rough start. Neptune governs imagination and our spiritual inclinations, but also blurs boundaries and thus can heighten confusion and even deception. Where Neptune appears in our natal charts is where we tend to give ourselves the short end of the stick, typically because Neptune heightens our sense of compassion, but also because Neptune can limit the expression of our egos, and while it may be fashionable in some spiritual circles to denigrate the ego, a healthy ego is still a necessity for navigating reality on the material plane. We may find our thoughts struggling to make sense of practical matters now, more prone to daydream and escapist fantasies. Now is not a time for any activity requiring sharp mental acuity, and it is unwise to sign contracts during this time or enter into verbal agreements. There is a strong potential to be deceived during this time, in large part because our own wishful thinking and heightened sympathies can make us easily led astray. Those of us whose Sun, Moon, or rising signs are ruled by Mercury (Gemini and Virgo) and those of us for whom Mercury is prominently placed in our natal or progressed charts should be especially careful today. Mental illness is also more likely to manifest symptoms during this time, as Neptune governs illness and as the transcendental ruler of Pisces and the 12th house also governs hospitalization. On the plus side, this conjunction can also amplify creativity, especially in Mercurial areas such as writing, so today is a good day for writers of fiction or poetry, especially those exploring spiritual or oceanic themes.

Toward mid-morning the Moon in Gemini opposed Black Moon Lilith in Sagittarius, which could well heighten feelings of overwhelm resulting from the Mercury/Neptune conjunction. Black Moon Lilith tends to immerse us in the darker places of whatever sign she is traversing and whatever luminary or planet she aspects, so we may find our emotions experiencing more of the disconnect between the airy realm of Gemini and the watery realm of Pisces where Gemini’s ruler is currently in the grip of the transformative power of Neptune, and Black Moon Lilith’s transit through Sagittarius just throws that disconnect into sharp relief via Sagittarius’ notoriously forthright and righteously hot temperament. We may have found ourselves extra testy this morning as a result, and although thankfully lunar aspects are short-lived, still the deeply unconscious nature of both the Moon and Black Moon Lilith could have found the reverberations of this contact lasting well into the day, especially since Black Moon Lilith is about wisdom gained through trying experiences.

As the morning progresses, that orientation toward lessons is doubly-emphasized by the Moon in Gemini squaring the Nodal axis, challenging our progression from remaining stuck in the familiar to learning new skills and growing along our karmic path. We may find ourselves feeling emotionally trapped at this time, or at least resistant, especially since the North Node in Virgo and the Moon in Gemini are both experiencing the Neptune-induced brain fog of their ruler Mercury, and Virgo’s concern with details is not likely to sit well with the Gemini Moon’s instinctual pursuit of a broad base of information to the detriment of more detailed examination. With the Mercury/Neptune conjunction fogging up the works, the North Node is especially hard-pressed to be able to attend to the details of our growth now, but it’s not going down without a fight (karma rarely does!) and so we are likely to be painfully aware that we are not living up to the requirements of our karmic path at this time, even if that awareness is just a nagging feeling in our subconscious that won’t allow us to get completely comfortable in our activities today.

Our emotional and instinctual discomfort comes to a head late tonight as the Moon in Gemini squares Neptune in Pisces, reinforcing the mind-clouding effects of the Mercury/Neptune conjunction and urging us further toward escapist reactions to our feelings and the events of the day. Tonight there is a very real danger of falling into addictive behaviors, retreating into alcohol or drugs, or just plain avoiding anything that smacks of reality. While Moon/Neptune aspects can sometimes enhance our creativity, this is a challenging aspect that may make it harder than usual to tap into the helpful elements of both of these bodies, especially given the Mercury/Neptune conjunction and the other astrological challenges of the day. Those of us who already experience health challenges, especially those of us with chronic illnesses and ailments that defy diagnosis, are likely to have a rougher time than usual under this influence. Tonight is a time to be gentle and compassionate with ourselves and others, and channel as much of our escapist instinct into more benign expressions of fantasy, such as books, movies, music, and art. Thankfully this is a lunar aspect and therefore relatively short-lived in comparison with some of the other influences of the past few days, and tomorrow we will be getting a boost of active and disciplined energy from Mars in Aries trining Saturn in Sagittarius, so we should not be too hard on ourselves about what we don’t get done today. Turning in early to take advantage of Neptune’s heightened capacity for dreaming may be just what the doctor ordered, and today’s confusion may still yield valuable wisdom to make good use of tomorrow.

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All aspect times used in creating this post are calculated for Pacific Standard Time. I tend to speak in broad terms when I reference time on this blog, referring to time-frames like “morning” or “afternoon” rather than specific times, since I still have a lot of friends on the East Coast who read these posts and I’d like them to be pertinent to those friends as well as folks here on the West Coast. Readers from further abroad will need to adjust time-frames accordingly.

Please keep in mind that we all have different responses to the aspects of the day because we all have different natal and progressed charts with which these aspects interact. If you would like to know more about your own natal and progressed charts in order to better understand how the aspects of the day will affect you, please take a look at my astrological services, and let’s get started on helping you to understand your life better!